One Year New Testament - Mark 8 - Jesus Feeds 4,000, Heals, and Predicts His Death

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Jesus Feeds the 4,000

This story is similar to the feeding of the 5,000 we just read. Some of the elements are the same. Jesus had compassion on people in need. He was concerned if they didn't get something to eat, they might be in trouble. When faced with such an overwhelming need, he turned to his disicples to see what they could come up with, which was a only few loaves and a few fish. Once again, he gave thanks to the Father when he broke the bread, all ate, and were satisfied. They even had leftovers, a sign that when God provides we have more than enough. Jesus did the miracle, but he asked the disicples to participate by handing out the bread. The same happens today. Jesus does the miracle, but we get to participate in it as his disicples did. The Pharisees continued to try and diminish what Jesus had just done. Perhaps they were looking for a "flashier" sign. The passage says Jesus was deeply grieved by their unbelief and sad behavior. 

This attack and the unbelief it showed distressed Jesus. He was amazed at the unbelief and audacity of these religious leaders. “The sigh physical, its cause spiritual – a sense of irreconcilable enmity, invincible unbelief, and coming doom.” (Bruce)

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod

Some people think the feeding of the 4,000 and the previous feeding of the 5,000 were possibly duplicate stories, and the bible could be error. But it is clear that Jesus refers to them as different events. One, in which the disciples had five loaves, and the other seven loaves. Before we doubt the bible, we have to examine the evidence. When people are looking to disprove the bible's accuracy, they usually take one verse and take it out of context. 

We see the disciples, though they just witnessed the feeding of the 5,000, are very slow to get it and ask the same question about what Jesus is calling, "the yeast of the Pharisees". Before we are too hard on them, remember they don't yet have the power of the Holy Spirit to discern spiritual matters. 

This is one of the situations where we wish we had a recording of Jesus’ words to hear what tone of voice He used. Was it a tone communicating anger, concern, or frustration? We know that even when Jesus confronted His disciples, He did it in love. - Guzik

Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida (which is at the North end of the Sea of Galilee the home of Peter, Andrew, and Philip)

In this miracle there are similar dynamics, but one new element to his miracle. Again, he took the man away from the crowd. Perhaps to give the man some privacy and also to get away from the crowds. Also, it says other men begged Jesus to heal the man. The men thought they needed to beg, but we know Jesus usually always responded when people came to him in faith. The difference in this miracle is that when Jesus first laid his hands on him, he only received partial sight. The man saw people that looked like trees walking around. Jesus asked him about it. Jesus did not know whether his sight was fully restored. It reminds us sometimes as we are praying for people, we need to check in with people to see if they see, hear, or feel anything happened. Healing prayer can be interactive in that way. Jesus continued to lay hands on the man, and he was fully healed. Note Jesus often laid hands on the area of the body which needed healing. He could have just said one word and the man would be healed, but he chose to do it this way. When appropriate (especially between a man in a woman, as we need to practice "safe touch") we can ask a person if we can lay hands on the area affected. 

This is the only “gradual” or “progressive” healing described in the ministry of Jesus. It is another example of the variety of healing methods Jesus used. Jesus probably choose this method at this time as an illustration to His disciples, showing them then that their spiritual blindness – shown in the previous passage – will be healed, but only gradually. - Guzik

Peter Declares Jesus is the Messiah

Though the disciples were slow to get a lot of Jesus' teaching and miracles, he checks in with them on the most important matter. Who is He? They answered what other people had said that maybe he was one of the prophets. This time Peter gets it right. He says, "You are the Messiah!" In other versions Jesus tells him that this was revealed to him by God. He also says in Matthew, "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it!" 

 It was fine for the disciples to know what others thought about Jesus. But Jesus had to ask them, as individuals, what they believed about Jesus. - Guzik

The same is true today. It is not necessarily what you THINK about Jesus, but do you BELIEVE He is the Christ!  This is what defines the Christian faith. Our faith is in a person, Jesus Christ, who lived, died, and rose again. Our faith is not blind, or just in some impersonal higher power, but in the historical person of Jesus Christ, who came from heaven to show us the way back to God! 

Jesus Predicts His Death

Jesus reveals to him the other real purpose for his coming to earth. He will soon die on a cross. He would be rejected and nailed to a cross by the religious leaders. The final act of their rejection of him.  But the Good News was after three days, he would rise again. Just after getting it right, Peter impulsively tells Jesus this must never happen and actually it says he rebuked Jesus. Jesus calls Peter on it and says "Get behind me Satan". Does this mean Jesus thought Peter turned into Satan? No. Jesus saw that Satan was using Peter as his pawn even if unwillingly. Satan's main goal was to try and thwart Jesus from getting to the cross, because he knew the cross would bring victory over sin, death, and over him. 

Peter’s intent was love for Jesus, but he was unwittingly used of Satan. You don’t have to be demon possessed for Satan to use you, and we need to be on guard lest we are unwittingly used. - Guzik

The Way of the Cross

As the time is near for his departure, Jesus makes it crystal clear what it will mean to follow him. We use the words "to be his disciple". Again Christianity is not adherance or assertions to certain doctrinal statements. It is a desire and commitment to follow Jesus.  Jesus uses his own example going to the cross as a metaphor of what the following him will mean. As Jesus will pick up his own cross, die, and eventually be raised from the dead, the Christian life is about dying to ourselves  and following Jesus wherever he leads us. We lose our lives in the sense, we make Jesus the leader of our lives and give up control of running our lives. We are no longer driving the bus, we are allowing him to lead us each day to do the things he would do if, he were us. Even if they are hard and unpleasant. But we find that when we lose our life, we actually find it. When we lose our lives, we experience freedom to the be the people we are called to be. Jesus calls it the "abundant" life. As we lose our lives, we truly find them. The cross is the metaphor for our lives. "Die each day to self, be raised again"  

Paul summarizes the Christian life in a nutshell when he says in Galatians 2:20-21,  "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

Where do you need to lose your life in order to find it? Are you still trying to control your life? Is Jesus the leader of your life? How can you live in the freedom Jesus has purchased for you on the cross, so that you can live the abundant life he promised to us as his disciples?